Why do Advance Level Usui Reiki?

One of the more surprising aspects of the Reiki Survey was the significant improvement in benefits perceived by the higher levels of training. This was something I was not expecting when I ran the report though with reflection it certainly makes sense. Level 2 is a quantum leap in many ways as it takes self-healing to a higher and more deliberate level. At the most basic level with Reiki we are simply acting as funnels, or to use a football analogy, we are simply spectators. Reiki flows through our hands into our cells and at that cellular level, we heal. Of course to see significant change we are also responsible in making changes happen, but essentially, when it comes to the Reiki, we are not in charge and we have no say in what areas are healed, at what rate, and with what priority.

Level 2 takes the healing into our own hands (pun intended!) by putting us squarely on the pitch. Instead of spectators we become players. We learn how to manipulate the energy and transform it into specific form. I.e. we learn how to turn the potential of Reiki energy into energy with a specific purpose. We can decide ourselves which areas of our lives we want to direct more healing, be it physical, mental, emotional, or to a specific event or trauma. We become more self-directing and deliberate in our healing journey and so on many levels this advanced training takes us much further, quicker.

Reiki Level 2 should be taken some time after Level 1. In my teaching tradition, a two month wait is stipulated, this period of time is an important opportunity to practice Reiki and ensure your energy is high. It is also an important time for self-healing to ensure you are ready to use the tools wisely. As we become players, we can choose our healing strategy, our ego minds can take control again, and if we are not more awake and aware, we can actually end up damaging our growth rather than aiding it. Also, unlike Level 1, the progressive Levels require the use of mental energy and as a result can be draining for those who have not been using their Reiki for self-healing.

As with the Level 1 training, there is an enormous discrepancy in the way the classes are taught. I frequently get calls from Level 2 practitioners who have little knowledge of the tools at their disposal. Having been taught nothing, they end up with nothing. This level should be full of possibilities and magic, I am hard pushed to cram all the information and tips into 12 hours of teaching and would seriously question a class of less than 6 hours of teaching time. Many classes seem to focus on the distance healing aspect of Reiki Level 2, but this is only one of many, many tools available at this level.

For those practitioners interested in taking Reiki to therapy level, the Level 2 training is possibly the minimum standard recommended before professionally treating others. For other people who enjoy Level 1, there is no need to go further with training, but the research does suggest each stage of training brings even more benefits.